Residents of Warren Towers, where a female visitor reported she was sexually assaulted in a bathroom early Sunday, say they do not feel safer in their own homes despite the constant presence of a police officer in the dorm’s lobby.
The victim told the Boston University Police Department she was attacked in the bathroom of the all-girl 16th floor of Shields Tower around 3:30 a.m. Vieshnavi Rattehalli, who lives on 16C, said she has been “terrified” since hearing of the alleged assault.
Rattehalli and her floormate, Arielle Aldrich, said the all-girls floor may be a target for assaults because “there are no guys around.”
“I’m jealous of the co-ed floors now,” said Rattehalli, a College of Arts and Sciences freshman. “I lock the doors all the time and go to the bathroom in groups. I think BU is doing what they can in terms of security. I feel like it could have happened anywhere but it’s much more scary that it happened here.”
Aldrich, a CAS freshman, said she and her roommate were out of town when the alleged assault took place.
Aldrich said she wants BU to “get to the bottom of this and find out what really happened” and that any heightened security would assure a few girls on 16C who were especially scared.
Warren resident Neda Mofrad said security at Warren is generally effective, but said the new Guest Policy might have students evaluating their safety.
“People have started questioning whether the new Guest Policy was a mistake, [but] it could be an isolated incident,” the CAS sophomore said.
College of Communication freshman Melissa McCaughey, who lives on 15C, said she was awake at the time of the alleged attack.
“When I found out, I was freaked out,” she said. “I didn’t think it was possible to happen just one floor above me.
“I was up at that time, so it’s scary to think I was so close,” she added. “I mean, I still feel safe here, but I’m a little more nervous now.”
The incident is still under investigation, said BU spokesman Colin Riley.
The attack, which was reported to BUPD around 4 a.m., is the third sexual assault reported to the BUPD in the past week.
At a Student Union Town Hall Meeting last night in the Howard Thurman Center, students discussed sexual assaults and other safety concerns.
Recent school numbers show that freshmen make up half of the students who have not signed up for the Send Word Now emergency-response system.
“We could have text messaged everyone in Warren to keep an eye out,” said Every Person Counts President Alex Alderfer. “This was an opportunity where we could have used text message and we could have potentially helped the situation.”
The administration did not consider using Send Word Now for the assault, said BUPD Chief Thomas Robbins after a meeting in the Warren Cinema Room on Sunday night.
“At this point, it’s more important that we get some kind of system on campus so that when a girl does come in, she feels comfortable knowing that someone’s there to hold her hand,” Alderfer said.
Vivian Ho, Jenna Nierstedt, Rachel Rose-Sandow and Anna Webster contributed reporting for this article.
Note: A quote was removed from this article at the request of the the interviewee for personal reasons.
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